Pavel Pafko

Management of Benign Stenoses of the Large Airways in the University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic, in 1998–2003

Background: Clinically significant benign stenoses of the large airways develop in about 1% of patients after intubation. The management of benign stenoses is not unified around the world, nor are there any accepted methods for their screening. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to describe and compare results of interventional bronchoscopy and surgical therapy of benign stenoses as well as to propose an algorithm for the management of this airways disorder. Methods: Prospective study on 80 consecutive patients with benign stenoses of the large airways admitted to the Pulmonary Department of the University Hospital of Prague-Motol. Results: Sixty-two patients developed stenoses after endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy, in 18 patients the stenosis was caused by other diseases or pathological situations. Thirty-eight patients were sent for surgical resection of the stenotic part of the airways. 2 surgically treated patients developed recurrence of the stenosis and had to be reoperated on. Narrowing of the trachea at the site of end-to-end anastomosis developed in 6 other patients and was cured by interventional bronchoscopy. The remaining 42 patients were treated by interventional bronchoscopy (Nd-YAG laser, electrocautery, stent) which was curative in 35 patients. Sixty-five patients were alive at the time of evaluation, 15 patients died. Five of them died between 3 and 14 (median 4) months after surgery from a disease other than airway stenosis. Ten nonresected patients also died, with 1 exception, due to a disease other than airway stenosis; the median survival was 9 months. Conclusions: We recommend to assess the patient for surgery after the initial diagnosis and therapeutic bronchoscopy with dilatation of the stenosis. If the patient is not a suitable candidate for resection, interventional bronchoscopy is an appropriate alternative for the management of benign stenoses of the large airways.

Surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism in children: Report of 10 cases

Primary hyperparathyroidism in children is very rare. It is caused by overproduction of parathormone by a pathologically changed parathyroid gland. We carried out a retrospective study in 10 patients (age 10-17 years) who had surgical treatment between 1996 and 2007. The main signs of primary hyperparathyroidism were urolithiasis, nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis and bone resorption, as well as non-specific signs such as fatigue, torpidness and muscle weakness. Patients were examined using sonography, MIBI-scintigraphy, CT and MRI. Calcium was measured before and after surgery; parathormone was monitored postoperatively. Surgery was curative in nine patients; reoperation was necessary in one patient because an ectopic parathyroid gland was not detected during the primary operation. Other major complications were not observed. Removal of pathologically changed parathyroid glands offers definitive and safe treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism in children. Special care should be taken if an ectopic parathyroid gland is suspected.

Comparison of postoperative complications of 60- and 70-year-old patients after lung surgery

This study investigated the association of age and postoperative complications in two different age groups undergoing thoracotomy and pulmonary resection. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients (n=150) older than 60 years who underwent pulmonary operations between January 2000 and December 2001. Group A consisted of 91 patients at the age of 60-69 years. In group B, there were 59 patients older than 70 years. We recorded preoperative assessment, clinical parameters, pre- and postoperative complications. The incidence of postoperative complications were compared between the two age groups using univariate and multivariate analysis. The incidence of postoperative complications in group A was 30% compared to 35.6% in group B. The most frequent complications were: cardiac arrhythmias 9.9% in group A vs. 15.2% in group B, and prolonged air leak 8.8% in group A vs. 8.5% in group B. Thirty days mortality was 0 vs. 1.2%. We concluded that there was no significantly higher incidence of postoperative complications in these two age groups.

Measurement of intact parathormone during operation for primary hyperparathyroidism.

In this prospective study, the role of the intact parathormone (iPHT) levels for the verification of pathologic parathyroid tissue removal during parathyroidectomy, was analyzed in 441 patients diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism. The level of intact parathormone was obtained before the initial incision (baseline level) and 10 minutes after the pathologic parathyroid gland removal (control value). In 80 % of cases, the decrease of intact parathormone was more than 50 % of the baseline level. The comparison of preoperative and postoperative intact parathormone levels can also be used as marker of parathyroid hyperplasia or persistent hyperparathyroidism. This method is necessary mainly for performance of focused, miniinvasive approaches as well as in reoperations. This method is of significant benefit in cases of negative preoperative examination methods. The determination of intact parathormone level increases the success of parathyroidectomy (Ref. 26).

Continued Smoking in Lung Transplant Patients: A Cross Sectional Survey.

Abstract Introduction Smoking is associated with a higher incidence of post-lung transplantation complications and mortality. Prior to inclusion on the lung transplant waiting list in the Czech Republic, patients are supposed to be tobacco free for at least 6 months. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of smoking, validated by urinary cotinine, among patients post lung transplantation and prior to inclusion on the transplant waiting list. Methods Between 2009 and 2012, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of urinary cotinine to assess tobacco exposure in 203 patients in the Lung Transplant Program in the Czech Republic. We measured urinary cotinine in 163 patients prior to inclusion on the transplantation waiting list, and 53 patients post bilateral lung transplantation. Results 5.1% (95% CI 0.078 to 0.269) of all lung transplant recipients had urinary cotinine levels corresponding to active smoking; and a further 3.8% (95% CI 0.007 to 0.116) had borderline results. Compared to patients with other diagnoses, patients with COPD were 35 times more likely to resume smoking post-transplantation (95% CI 1.92 to 637.37, p-value 0.016). All patients who tested positive for urinary cotinine levels were offered smoking cessation support. Only one Tx patient sought treatment for tobacco dependence, but was unsuccessful. Conclusion Smoking resumption may be an underrecognized risk for lung transplantation recipients, particularly among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. More rigorous screening, as well as support and treatment to stop smoking among these patients are needed.